Faith

In Chapter 21 Jesus has entered Jerusalem and we are now in Holy Week. He has cleansed the temple only to return the next day to be challenged by the Chief Priest and the elders who wanted to know his source of authority. Jesus responds with three parables of judgment and we are in the third one today.

This parable is bizarre at all levels, if not scary. It goes from celebration to decimation in seven verses with its tortured and twisted plots; and there are not one but two of them. But remember that parables are allegories and not realism and hence you have to appreciate the absurdities to appreciate the parable.

In a food-scarce world it seems odd that one would turn down any invitation let alone one from a king. No one turns down a royal invite and makes ‘light of the invitation’ (verse 5). But an invite to tie a knot just got tied in knots ! The invited guests kill the messenger and rubbish the message inviting the full wrath of the king to burn down ‘their city’ even though it is ‘his city’.

And then there is part two! Those not meant to be invited are invited but one of them is not wearing a wedding garment so he is thrown into the outer darkness. Poor chap he came in for a free meal and now won’t even get a ‘get out of jail card.’ So we need to suss this one out to understand it.

This parable is similar  to Luke 14:16-24 and one that is found in the Gospel of Thomas ( an apocryphal text)  however it is Matthew who added the second part of the story and this is found nowhere else in the Gospels. You must put on a Matthean mindset when reading his parables of Jesus. His own community were kicked out by their Jewish brothers who lived down the road and made to feel like outsiders. That’s why when the king burns the city it is referred to as ‘their city’ a reference to Jerusalem which was burnt by the Romans in 70 AD.

The invitation to the wedding was rejected by the Jews who made ‘light’ of the bridegroom. Remember that one of the titles for the Messiah was the bridegroom. Having rejected the call to celebrate the messianic banquet, the Jews led by their chief priest and elders now face the full wrath of the king. The burnt down city of Jerusalem was still fresh in the minds of the Jewish Christians.

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading
Art/ Heritage

‘In 1900 the six seminarians then studying at St Xavier’s were moved to Kandy and the Bombay Seminary was closed for the second time in its long and tortuous history.’ – Ratus, 1986

How did the seminary fare at Kandy? What was life like for the Bombay boys? We get a fair glimpse of this period through the seminary life of H.E. Valerian Cardinal Gracias narrated by his best friend and companion, later Archbishop Leonard Raymond. Here are a few excerpts:

The Bishop-elect and I have been classmates for a well high seven years, first at Kandy and then at Rome…Few realize that it was really Archbishop Goodier…who decided to send Valerian Gracias to Kandy Seminary in 1923, though through several months of 1922 the latter was convalescing after a severe bout of typhoid. He entered the Theology course with a grave physical handicap but it hardly slackened his stride.

Within a few months he showed his mettle at one of our usual “circles”…by his thorough grasp of the fluent Latin. Fr. Gryffroy who presided, one of the ablest professors Kandy Seminary had ever been blessed with, was obviously delighted: here was a new comer after his own heart, and he communicated his joy to the whole Seminary faculty.

…towards the middle of 1926…Fr. (now Bishop) Willekens, announced that the Seminary had been empowered to grant the Doctorate in Theology, and that those who had taken a first class for six successive years would be eligible for it. Thus entitled to appear for the exam, Father Gracias took his doctorate early in 1927, once again cum magna laude.

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading
Food

Let me tell you a little story once again.

A few years ago on a weekend before Christmas we decided to call a few of our good friends over for dinner to share the love and a delicious meal as we always do during the most wonderful time the year.

I started cooking in preparation for the meal two days ahead. Personally, I don’t like standing in the kitchen for too long. I tire easily standing in one spot and I prefer prepping various parts of the meal before the actual day, dividing the workload. I also feel that certain dishes especially meats and pulses pull in more flavour when cooked a day ahead.

My husband who usually helps me with the meals was out at work and couldn’t help me on this occasion. So I asked him if he could make a quick salad when he was back and just before they came over. After cleaning up and taking a quick shower, I noticed he was done. He told me that he had decided to make a simple cucumber salad and mentioned that back home it was always a great accompaniment to rice and dry sides. Eg. A plain pulav and a dry meat/vegetarian dish.

That evening after my friends came over and we were done with dinner. They mentioned that they loved every part of the dinner. Pleased as punch I asked what they loved the best. Pat came the reply, “Cheri everything was great, especially your salad. I loved it. How do you make it ?”

Hmmm…….

Craig’s simple cucumber salad.

2 onions

4 cucumbers

1 green chilly

Salt and pepper to taste

Milk of 1/2 a coconut.

Wash the cucumbers thoroughly. Peel the outer skin only if necessary*.

With the same peeler instead of using your knife at this point, peel the cucumbers lengthwise, such that you have long ribbons of cucumber. Keep this aside in a separate bowl. After a while gently squeeze the ribbons of cucumber separating it from its liquid. Discard the liquid.

Finely slice the onions, and add a little salt and pepper to taste. Keep these aside covered in a separate bowl too. Now chop the green chilly and add it to the onions.

Mix the onions and chilly mix with the squeezed cucumber and add the coconut milk.Season with salt and pepper if needed. Keep the bowl in the fridge the cool. Serve chilled.

Spread the love ♥
  1    
1
Share
Continue Reading
Art/ Heritage

THE BOMBAY SEMINARY: At St. Xavier’s

As discovered in the earlier articles the Bombay Seminary, in its gypsy life, travelled from Fort to Dadar, Surat to Bandra and from Cavel to Mazagaon. In 1870 it struck camp at Dhobitalao. What led to this sudden change in campsite?

The answer is more practical. On January 30, 1869 St Mary’s, Mazagaon was recognized as a College of Arts by the Bombay University. But its affiliation was granted under the name of ‘St. Xavier’s’. When a major portion of the Jesuit Institution along Carnac Road (now Lokmanya Tilak Marg) was ready, the makeshift school at Cavel as well as the ‘Young Gentlemen’s School’ at Fort were transferred to this building.

St. Xavier’s was a dream come true for the Jesuits and hence they also decided to transfer the ‘College Department’ and the ‘Matriculation Class’ of St Mary’s Mazagaon to the new location at Fort. For the next thirty years the Bombay Seminary was a part of the St. Xavier’s institution but at two locations i.e. from 1870 to 1891 in what is now St Xavier’s High School and from 1891 to 1900 in what is now St. Xavier’s College.

At the Seminary at Carnac Road, the minor seminarians followed the school or college curriculum and wore lay clothes. The major seminarians wore cassocks and had classes early in the morning or late in the evenings since the professors had their hands full during the day. From 1888 one priest was exclusively set aside for the Seminary.

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading
Food

Pesarattu

Pesarattu literally means Moong Dal Dosa. Pesarattu is also called as pesara dosa in Telugu. The word Pesarattu is derived from two words pesara and attu. Pesara means mung lentils or moong dal and attu means dosa.

This recipe was sent to me by Austin D’sa from my parish who was a student of Don Bosco College of Hospitality studies. I tried it out and it was extremely nice. 

Ingredients
1 cup whole moong dal (green gram lentil)
1/4 cup rice
1/2 teaspoon methi (fenugreek seeds)
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
2 green chilies
1/2 cup coriander stem, chopped (optional )
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
Handful of coriander leaves, chopped
Oil or ghee to fry

Method
Soak the rice and moong dal over night. The next morning blend all the above ingredients in a blender and add very little water while blending Because moong dal and onions leaves water. The batter must be thick pouring consistency. Do not add salt

Spread the love ♥
       
Continue Reading